Class 2 buildings are residential apartment buildings. They are typically multi-unit residential buildings where people live above and below each other, and have special rules to protect the health, safety and welfare of all occupants.
The Building Code of Australia defines them as a building containing two or more sole-occupancy units each being a separate dwelling. Types of class 2 buildings include multi-unit, multi-storey residential apartments; a house with a granny flat on a second storey; two single-storey dwellings that are attached and have a common space below.
Mixed-use buildings containing a class 2 part are also included. This means that the requirements apply to work on all parts of the building, not just the class 2 part. For example, an apartment building with a carpark, or buildings with shops on the first floor or offices occupying some floors – all of these types of mixed-use buildings will be captured.
The parts of a building (known as the ‘building elements’) covered by the laws include:
- the fire safety systems of a building
- waterproofing
- an internal or external load bearing component of a building that is essential to the stability of the building, or part of it
- a component of a building that is part of the building enclosure
- those aspects of the mechanical, plumbing and electrical services for a building that are required to achieve compliance with the Building Code of Australia.